How Marca overcame its challenges to remain the voice of football in Spain

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Updated 12 March 2023
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How Marca overcame its challenges to remain the voice of football in Spain

  • The iconic publication’s Editor-in-Chief Jose Felix Dias speaks exclusively to Arab News about his life in journalism, the 2022 World Cup, Saudi football and the ambitions of Arab footballers

Few sporting publications command the respect that Spain’s Marca has consistently had since its launch in 1938.

Jose Felix Diaz, its current editor-in-chief, began his journey at Marca in 1992 while still at university, his first beat being that of covering Spain’s third division.

Since then, he has risen through the ranks, covering La Liga, FIFA World Cups, the UEFA Champions League and other competitions, to become the holder of the newspaper’s top editorial position.

A love affair with the iconic publication saw him stay there until 2009, when he made the move to El Confidencial. However, by 2014 he was back at Marca, the place where he feels most at home.

He spoke exclusively to Arab News about his journey in journalism and life in football.

Journalism has changed drastically in recent years, how is Marca doing during these times?

The newspaper as a “paper” was wounded, and the pandemic increased the depth of this wound. In Spain, newspapers were waiting for one to get going again, because it would pave the way for others to fight too, and Marca was one of the first to continue fighting and continues to do so.

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Reading newspapers is not the same as browsing the internet. The newspaper makes you feel as if you are the one who wrote it, or as if you were with the people who wrote it and experienced it. Therefore, the difference between reading newspapers and reading on the internet is huge.

Apart from the pandemic, what were some of the biggest challenges that Marca faced?

Marca had an unsuccessful experience in TV because of the high expenses required, such as getting the (broadcasting) license, accreditation, and organizing a team.

As for documentaries, Marca has a partnership with Amazon. There are different documentaries and reportages made by many journalists at Marca in almost all of Spain, and others around the world. Moreover, Marca is always trying to provide different choices, and not limit its content to news, in order to provide the viewers with other options and help them to watch and experience different things.

Marca is a globally known and very popular brand, are there plans to set up other language editions, maybe even Arabic?

It is not easy to move Marca to Saudi Arabia, although the Kingdom is currently considered a large and open market. However, we are thinking about taking this step later in the future and involving people to work with Marca in Arabic, taking into consideration all the developments and changes happening in Saudi.

The relationship in terms of sports between Spain and Saudi Arabia is a close and solid one. We have seen this recently between the Spanish and Saudi football federations, as well as partnerships in other sports too. Also, the positive thing that caught my attention is that the Kingdom began to open up to sports, which introduces Saudi Arabia to the world. People now are beginning to know about Saudi Arabia, its traditions, and its people. I also like the great change and work that Saudi politicians and leaders are doing these days.

Are there major cultural differences that would stop a European brand succeeding here?

I think the problem might be that Europeans believe that, for example, if they come to Saudi Arabia, life will be the same as they are used to in their countries. But they must respect the rules and adapt to life in Saudi Arabia, just as how the Saudis must adapt to the life in every other country they visit. Each country has its own laws and traditions that we must respect.

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As for me, I noticed during my visit to the Kingdom that many things have changed, whether socially, in sports, developments in facilities, or even regarding what the Europeans always talk about, which is the issue of women, who can now drive and be in high and important positions. I also think that Europeans should visit the Kingdom, especially since visa matters have also been improved.

I believe that people should not judge the Kingdom without visiting it. Visiting the country will give them the chance to notice that people here are hospitable, kind, and love sports. I also want to praise the leaders who participated in giving a beautiful image of Saudi Arabia to the world, especially since sports has now become an important reason that reflects a positive image of the country and its people.

What where your views on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar?

I have attended five editions of the World Cup, and this one was the best and most organized one yet. The thing that made it even better is that the stadiums are close to each other. Before, I used to attend some matches of the Spain national team, but this time, I had time to attend other teams’ matches. I believe that Qatar did a great job in organizing the World Cup.




Editor-in-Chief Jose Felix Dias (R) with Arab News reporter Khaled Alarafah during his visit to the Founding Day activities held at the SRMG headquarters in Riyadh. AN photo by Huda Bashatah

What do you think of Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr?

Because of Ronaldo’s contract with a Saudi team, there were banners all around Madrid with Ronaldo on them, which is attracting people to visit Saudi Arabia.

In the last two or three months, the whole world has been talking about Saudi Arabia and the (Roshn) Saudi League. I think (Ronaldo) is a great addition to the Saudi League, and I thank the leaders in the country for giving the green light and support for the clubs to bring any player to the team.

I believe that this step benefits Saudi football, and the country as a well, which is considered a tourist destination with a rich history, originality and traditions. In addition, I think that Ronaldo’s step in coming to the Kingdom opens the door for other players to come to the Saudi League. All this helps Saudi Arabia to take a big place in the sports industry, which is important in attracting fans.

Europe is beginning to discover the Arab world through sports. There are many Spanish players in the Saudi League, such as Alvaro Gonzalez at Al-Nassr, Cristian Tello at Al-Fateh, and Alvaro Medran at Al-Taawoun. Medran is the youngest, and I think that this is not his last stop.

Therefore, the arrival of Ronaldo will be a reason for many other players to play in Saudi Arabia, and according to my information, the next players coming to the Kingdom might be Sergio Ramos, Angel Di Maria and Marcelo.

Saudi football has became a destination for great players, not only players at the end of their career, but young players too. I also don’t think that it is impossible to see Messi in Saudi Arabia, and the beginning of another rivalry with Ronaldo.

Morocco, and to a lesser extent Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, impressed at the World Cup. What is your opinion of Arab footballers? And should more be playing abroad?

The mentality of the Arab players must change, not just the Saudi players.

For example, the mentality of Arab players is not as ambitious as non-Arab players because of their comfortable living conditions and high salaries, which might lead them not to play abroad, and this is what the European players who played in the Arab world and Gulf countries noticed.

Apart from this, Saudi Arabia did well in winning against Argentina when no one expected that, but for the Arab teams to catch up with the European and Latin teams, this requires time, hard work, and a change of the Arab players’ mentality to play with no limits on their ambition, which is the reason that great players and teams have succeeded in the past.


Benfica knock out Auckland in Club World Cup romp

Updated 20 June 2025
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Benfica knock out Auckland in Club World Cup romp

  • With the Portuguese side leading by a goal at half-time the match was suspended because of a storm
  • Despite their eventual collapse, Auckland battled hard in the first half

ORLANDO: Benfica romped to a 6-0 win over Auckland City on Friday in a Club World Cup match in Orlando which suffered a long weather delay, with Angel Di Maria netting two penalties.

With the Portuguese side leading by a goal at half-time the match was suspended because of a storm, eventually resuming two hours later.

Auckland of New Zealand, the only Oceania Football Confederation representatives at the tournament, were thrashed 10-0 by Bayern Munich in their Group C opener and this defeat means they are eliminated.

Despite their eventual collapse, Auckland battled hard in the first half and almost made it to the break unscathed.

Auckland goalkeeper Nathan Garrow made several good saves to keep Benfica at bay and the Portuguese side grew frustrated.

Benfica took the lead deep into first half stoppage time when Gianluca Prestianni was clumsily felled in the area by Haris Zeb.

Di Maria, who converted a spot-kick in the opening 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors, sent Garrow the wrong way.

At half-time the match became the fourth in the last four days at the tournament to be impacted by a suspension for adverse conditions, with a storm arriving at the Inter&CO Stadium.

When play eventually resumed, Benfica came back out strongly.

Vangelis Pavlidis bundled his way through and smashed home to double Bruno Lage’s team’s lead in the 53rd minute, with Renato Sanches netting the third 10 minutes later from outside the box with a deflected effort.

Luxembourg midfielder Leandro Barreiro bagged a brace to expand Benfica’s lead, tucking home at the back post from Pavlidis’ cross for the fourth before netting from close range.

Nikko Boxall brought down Di Maria in stoppage time and the Argentine World Cup winner beat Garrow from the spot again to wrap up Benfica’s emphatic triumph.

Later Friday German giants Bayern Munich take on Argentine outfit Boca Juniors in the other Group C match.


Liverpool sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for huge fee that could climb to $156m

Updated 20 June 2025
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Liverpool sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for huge fee that could climb to $156m

  • “I feel very happy and very proud,” Wirtz told the official Liverpool website
  • “Finally it’s done and I was waiting for a long time”

LONDON: Liverpool delivered a huge statement of intent after winning the Premier League title by signing Germany star Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

The transfer fee could climb to 116 million pounds ($156 million), which would make the 22-year-old Wirtz the most expensive player in the history of British soccer.

“I feel very happy and very proud,” Wirtz told the official Liverpool website. “Finally it’s done and I was waiting for a long time.

“I’m really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League.

“I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it’s perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I’m really looking forward to playing my first game.”

Liverpool, determined to keep moving forward despite securing a record-tying 20th English top-flight title, splashed out a club record to bring in not only one of the best players from Germany, but one of the top youngsters in the world.


Wirtz has been a key first-team player for Leverkusen since he was 17. He was the outstanding attacking player in the team that won the Bundesliga and German Cup in 2023-24 without losing a game, and is a regular in Germany’s national team.

It’s why Liverpool were ready to pay a guaranteed 100 million pounds, plus 16 million pounds in potential add-ons. Wirtz had two years left on his contract, giving Leverkusen leverage in negotiations.

The Premier League record for an initial fee was set when Chelsea signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for 106.7 million pounds ($131.4 million at the time) in 2023, before the London club agreed to pay up to 115 million pounds ($146 million at the time) for midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton later that year.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot arrived last summer and signed just one outfield player — forward Federico Chiesa — for the 2024-25 season.

Chiesa barely played and the Reds won the league by 10 points, after which Slot and some of his players — including Virgil van Dijk — spoke about there being big plans for this transfer window.

Having already signed right wing back Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen for a reported 35 to 40 million euros ($39.7 million to $45.4 million), Liverpool have returned to the German club to take Wirtz, who rejected an opportunity to join Bayern Munich — a Bundesliga rival which have long pursued him.

One obstacle to that move was the size of the fee Leverkusen wanted. Another was concern over how Wirtz might fit into the same lineup as Jamal Musiala, Germany’s other standout young attacking midfielder.

Losing Wirtz leaves Leverkusen and their new coach, Erik ten Hag with an even bigger rebuild following the departure of Xabi Alonso for Real Madrid.

Just after his 17th birthday, Wirtz became the youngest player in Leverkusen’s history when he made his debut against Werder Bremen in May 2020, in an empty stadium at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A month later he was the youngest player to score in Bundesliga history, though that record has since been topped.

Wirtz’s versatile attacking midfield play was a vital ingredient in Alonso transforming Leverkusen into a team that could win the Bundesliga and German Cup without losing a game.

He and Alonso stayed for another sometimes-disappointing season which ended with second place to Bayern in the league and a loss to Bayern in the Champions League round of 16.

Wirtz showed he can deal with adversity when a cruciate ligament tear in his knee ruled him out for almost all of 2022 — including Alonso’s first games as coach — before he returned to power Leverkusen to their league and cup double in 2023-24.

Wirtz has become a vital player for the German national team with 29 caps. He played all five of their matches at Euro 2024 on home soil.

He’s also had to contend with hostility from fans of his boyhood club Cologne, which he left for nearby Leverkusen at 16. Liverpool and Bayern were reportedly interested then, too.

Cologne claimed that deal broke an agreement between the clubs not to pursue each other’s youth players. Leverkusen argued Wirtz was so talented that he counted as a first-team player despite his age.

Cologne and Leverkusen are barely 10 kilometers (6 miles) apart, so going to Liverpool will be the first time that Wirtz has moved away from his roots.

His parents Hans Wirtz and Karin Gross have played a big role in his career — they were also his agents until last year — and he’s close to his older sister Juliane, a professional player for Werder Bremen in the women’s Bundesliga.

Wirtz’s decision to turn down Bayern and the Bundesliga for Liverpool has caused some raised eyebrows in Germany.

“I wouldn’t have thought Florian would make this switch so early,” former Germany great Lothar Matthäus told broadcaster n-tv last month. “But he wants to get out of his comfort zone.”

Wirtz seems likely to slot in as the No. 10 at Liverpool, a more creative solution in that role compared to the hard-running Dominik Szoboszlai.

Whether Slot also now pushes for a new striker as an upgrade to current options Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez remains to be seen.

Szoboszlai could drop back into one of the two deeper midfield positions, competing with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones.


Acclaim for Bounou, Al-Dawsari as world reacts to Al-Hilal’s performance against Real Madrid

Updated 20 June 2025
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Acclaim for Bounou, Al-Dawsari as world reacts to Al-Hilal’s performance against Real Madrid

  • New coach Simone Inzaghi’s tactics praised after Saudi club’s impressive 1-1 draw in FIFA Club World Cup
  • It was on social media, however, that the impact of Al-Hilal’s performance reverberated most

DUBAI: An impressive 1-1 draw by Al-Hilal against Spanish giants Real Madrid in the FIFA World Club Cup has drawn praise from football fans and media alike, with goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou and captain Salem Al-Dawsari receiving particular attention.

Al-Dawsari caused a stir among the media, who recalled his heroics in scoring Saudi Arabia’s winner against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while Bounou was a key player for Morocco who reached the semifinals in the same tournament.

There was also recognition of the role played by Simone Inzaghi, the new Al-Hilal coach, who took over the reins following his departure from UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan.

“For Al-Hilal, many foreign players who now play for the club have experience at top teams and stages of tournaments, like Manchester City and World Cup semifinals,” wrote the Washington Post after the encounter at Hard Rock Stadium in Washington.

“Inzaghi has made a big step after guiding Inter Milan to two Champions League finals, now stepping out of his comfort zone.”

Al Jazeera said Real Madrid had labored to the 1-1 result draw against a spirited Al-Hilal and that “Simone Inzaghi’s men showed defensive grit and enough attacking intent to rattle their illustrious opponents.”

The BBC compared the Al-Hilal coach’s debut to that of opposite number Xabi Alonso, saying: “Inzaghi will likely be the more satisfied, with his unfancied Al-Hilal side impressing and threatening to deliver a remarkable result even without a prolific marksman of their own, given Aleksandar Mitrovic was ruled out through injury.”

It was on social media, however, that the impact of Al-Hilal’s performance reverberated most.

Many commenters highlighted the challenges posed by 33-year-old Al-Dawsari to Real Madrid debutant Trent Alexander Arnold, who was involved in one of the most high-profile transfers of the summer when he joined the Saudi club from Liverpool just weeks ago.

“I was raving about Salem Al-Dawsari during the Arabian Gulf Cup as one of the best players I have ever seen. An unbelievable talent and Real Madrid found that out for themselves,” journalist David Rhys Williams wrote on X.

Seb Stafford-Bloor of The Athletic echoed the sentiments in his own tweet: “Salem Al-Dawsari is a super player — and he’s had an excellent half. Causing all kinds of problems down Real’s right.”

One user said: “Trent getting dunked on by Salem Al-Dawsari,” while another commented: “Trent getting cooked by Al-Dawsari.” Others posted memes of the Al-Hilal player’s success in the head-to-head battle.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois praised Bounou after a stoppage-time penalty save against Frederico Valverde secured a precious point for Al-Hilal.

“Fede has a very strong shot but he does not look at the keeper. Bounou moved early and could reach it. Bounou is good at penalties,” said Courtois.


On X, @Medias24, with over 180,000 followers, said: “A world-renowned drill specialist, Yassine Bounou, once again demonstrated his instincts against Real Madrid. Marca praises him, FIFA celebrates him, and the numbers confirm: the Moroccan goalkeeper has become a global icon.”

Meanwhile Moroccan football account @MoroccanGrinta proudly tweeted: “Penalty in the 90th minute against Real Madrid? Not a problem when you have Yassine Bounou. The Atlas Lion delivers a masterclass and secures a crucial point for Al-Hilal.”

Sports News Africa posted a video of Bounou’s save and said: “We’ll let you watch yet another save from the best African goalkeeper in history against the GREAT Real Madrid. Yassine Bounou…”


Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers postponed, relocated due to Israel-Iran conflict

Updated 20 June 2025
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Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers postponed, relocated due to Israel-Iran conflict

  • Preliminary matches involving Jordan, Iran, Lebanon, Bhutan and Singapore were due to kick off on Monday
  • The Group A qualifiers will now take place from July 7 to 19

BEIRUT: Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers scheduled for next week in Jordan have been postponed until July and moved to Qatar due to the air war between Iran and Israel, the Asian Football Confederation confirmed on Friday.

Preliminary matches involving Jordan, Iran, Lebanon, Bhutan and Singapore were due to kick off on Monday and run through to July 5.

The Group A qualifiers will now take place from July 7 to 19, with further details regarding venues and match timings yet to be confirmed by the regional body.

The Football Association of Singapore had earlier said that the matches had been postponed by the AFC due to the “ongoing situation in the region and logistical concerns” raised by several participating member associations.

Qualifiers for the competition will begin elsewhere in the region on Monday, with the draw for the finals to be held on July 29. The 12-team tournament will be played in Australia next March.

Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying it aimed to prevent its longtime enemy from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. It says its nuclear program is peaceful.


Liverpool star Mohamed Salah among nominees for PFA Player of the Year award

Updated 20 June 2025
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Liverpool star Mohamed Salah among nominees for PFA Player of the Year award

  • The 33-year-old played a key role in Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph last season
  • The Egypt star was voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association

LONDON: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was among six players nominated for the Professional Footballers’ Association Men’s Player of the Year award on Friday.

The 33-year-old played a key role in Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph last season with 29 goals and 18 assists.

The Egypt star was voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association – securing almost 90 percent of the votes, marking the biggest winning margin this century – and is the firm favorite to land the PFA prize.

Salah is joined on the shortlist by Liverpool team-mate Alexis Mac Allister, Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Cole Palmer of Chelsea, Newcastle striker Alexander Isak and Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

Palmer, who won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2023-24, was a surprise choice for the list given his struggles for Chelsea last season.

Rice starred in midfield for Arsenal, hitting a career-high nine goals while adding 10 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions.

Sweden striker Isak scored 23 goals for Newcastle as they qualified for the Champions League and ended a 56-year trophy drought by winning the League Cup.

Fernandes was one of United’s few bright spots in the club’s worst top-flight campaign since 1973-74, with eight league goals and 10 assists.

This year’s awards ceremony will be held in Manchester on August 19.